Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836

Behold, this I have given unto you a
parable, and it is even as I am: I say unto
you, be one; and if ye are not one, ye are
not mine.
And again I say unto you, that the
enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your
lives: Ye hear of wars in far countries, and
you say that there will soon
be great wars in far countries, but ye know
not the hearts of them in your own land: I
tell you these things because of your
prayers:
wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your
bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal
these things unto you, by their wickedness,
in a manner which shall speak in your ears,
with a voice louder than that which shall
shake the earth: but if ye are prepared, ye
shall not fear.

And that ye might escape the power of
the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous
people, without spot and blameless:
wherefore, for this cause I gave unto
you the commandment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

French explored area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut Western...

: and there I will give unto you
my law; and there you shall be endowed

Bestowal of spiritual blessings, power, or knowledge. Beginning in 1831, multiple revelations promised an endowment of “power from on high” in association with the command to gather. Some believed this promise was fulfilled when individuals were first ordained...

with power from on high, and from thence,
whomsoever I will shall go forth among all
nations, and it shall be told them what they
shall do: for I have a great work laid up in
store:
for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead
them whithersoever I will, and no power
shall stay my hand.

And now I give unto the church in
these parts, a commandment, that certain men among them shall be appointed, and
they shall be appointed by the voice of the
church: and they shall look to the poor and
the needy, and administer to their relief,
that they shall not suffer; and send them
forth to the place which I have commanded
them; and this shall be their work,
to govern the affairs of the property of this
church.
And they that have farms that cannot
be sold, let them be left or rented as seemeth
them good.
See that all things are preserved, and
when men are endowed with power from
on high, and sent forth, all these things
shall be gathered unto the bosom of the
church.

And if ye seek the riches which it is the
will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall
be the richest of all people; for ye shall have
the riches of eternity: and it must needs be
that the riches of the earth is mine to give:
but beware of pride, lest ye become as
the Nephites

A term used in the Book of Mormon to refer to the descendants and followers of Nephi, as well as those who later identified themselves as Nephites for religious reasons. According to JS and the Book of Mormon, Lehi and Sariah, Nephi’s parents, and their family...

of old.
And again I say unto you, I give unto
you a commandment, that every man, both
elder

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. In the Book of Mormon, priests were described as those who baptized, administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church,” and taught “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” A June 1829 revelation directed...

Generally, one who instructs, but also an ecclesiastical and priesthood office. The Book of Mormon explained that teachers were to be ordained “to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end...

and also member, go
to with his might, with the labor of his
hands, to prepare and accomplish the
things which I have commanded.
And let your preaching be the warning
voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness
and in meekness.
And go ye out from among the wicked.
Save yourselves.
Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the
Lord; even so: Amen.

Revelation, 30 Apr. 1832, in “Revelation Given April, 1832,” Evening and Morning Star, Jan. 1833
(Apr. 1836), 126 [D&C 83]. This version closely corresponds to the version in section 88 of the 1835
Doctrine and Covenants, suggesting that the latter was used as a source text for the former.

Principles given to the church and its members in February 1831 revelations. In January 1831, a revelation promised the saints in New York that the law would be given after they gathered in Ohio. Once in Ohio, on 9 and 23 February 1831, JS dictated two revelations...

of the church concerning
women and children, those who belong to
the church, who have lost their husbands
or fathers:
women have claim on their husbands
for their maintainance until their husbands
are taken; and if they are not found transgressors
they shall have fellowship in the
church, and if they are not faithful, they
shall not have fellowship in the church; yet
they may remain upon their inheritances

Generally referred to land promised by or received from God for the church and its members. A January 1831 revelation promised church members a land of inheritance. In March and May 1831, JS dictated revelations commanding members “to purchase lands for an...

All children have claim upon their
parents for their maintainance until they
are of age; and after that, they have claim
upon the church; or, in other words, upon
the Lord’s storehouse

Both a literal and a figurative repository for goods and land donated to the church. The book of Malachi directed the house of Israel to bring “all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.” In JS’s revision of the Old Testament...

, if their parents have
not wherewith to give them inheritances.
And the storehouse shall be kept by the
consecrations

The dedicating of money, lands, goods, or one’s own life for sacred purposes. Both the New Testament and Book of Mormon referred to some groups having “all things common” economically; the Book of Mormon also referred to individuals who consecrated or dedicated...

of the church, that widows
and orphans shall be provided for, as also
the poor. Amen. [p. 126]

Behold, this I have given unto you a
parable, and it is even as I am: I say unto
you, be one; and if ye are not one, ye are
not mine.
And again I say unto you, that the
enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your
lives: Ye hear of wars in far countries, and
you say that there will soon
be great wars in far countries, but ye know
not the hearts of them in your own land: I
tell you these things because of your
prayers:
wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your
bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal
these things unto you, by their wickedness,
in a manner which shall speak in your ears,
with a voice louder than that which shall
shake the earth: but if ye are prepared, ye
shall not fear.

And that ye might escape the power of
the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous
people, without spot and blameless:
wherefore, for this cause I gave unto
you the commandment

Generally, a divine mandate that church members were expected to obey; more specifically, a text dictated by JS in the first-person voice of Deity that served to communicate knowledge and instruction to JS and his followers. Occasionally, other inspired texts...

French explored area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut Western...

: and there I will give unto you
my law; and there you shall be endowed

Bestowal of spiritual blessings, power, or knowledge. Beginning in 1831, multiple revelations promised an endowment of “power from on high” in association with the command to gather. Some believed this promise was fulfilled when individuals were first ordained...

with power from on high, and from thence,
whomsoever I will shall go forth among all
nations, and it shall be told them what they
shall do: for I have a great work laid up in
store:
for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead
them whithersoever I will, and no power
shall stay my hand.

And now I give unto the church in
these parts, a commandment, that certain men among them shall be appointed, and
they shall be appointed by the voice of the
church: and they shall look to the poor and
the needy, and administer to their relief,
that they shall not suffer; and send them
forth to the place which I have commanded
them; and this shall be their work,
to govern the affairs of the property of this
church.
And they that have farms that cannot
be sold, let them be left or rented as seemeth
them good.
See that all things are preserved, and
when men are endowed with power from
on high, and sent forth, all these things
shall be gathered unto the bosom of the
church.

And if ye seek the riches which it is the
will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall
be the richest of all people; for ye shall have
the riches of eternity: and it must needs be
that the riches of the earth is mine to give:
but beware of pride, lest ye become as
the Nephites

A term used in the Book of Mormon to refer to the descendants and followers of Nephi, as well as those who later identified themselves as Nephites for religious reasons. According to JS and the Book of Mormon, Lehi and Sariah, Nephi’s parents, and their family...

of old.
And again I say unto you, I give unto
you a commandment, that every man, both
elder

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. In the Book of Mormon, priests were described as those who baptized, administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church,” and taught “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” A June 1829 revelation directed...

Generally, one who instructs, but also an ecclesiastical and priesthood office. The Book of Mormon explained that teachers were to be ordained “to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end...

and also member, go
to with his might, with the labor of his
hands, to prepare and accomplish the
things which I have commanded.
And let your preaching be the warning
voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness
and in meekness.
And go ye out from among the wicked.
Save yourselves.
Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the
Lord; even so: Amen.

Revelation, 30 Apr. 1832, in “Revelation Given April, 1832,” Evening and Morning Star, Jan. 1833
(Apr. 1836), 126 [D&C 83]. This version closely corresponds to the version in section 88 of the 1835
Doctrine and Covenants, suggesting that the latter was used as a source text for the former.

Principles given to the church and its members in February 1831 revelations. In January 1831, a revelation promised the saints in New York that the law would be given after they gathered in Ohio. Once in Ohio, on 9 and 23 February 1831, JS dictated two revelations...

of the church concerning
women and children, those who belong to
the church, who have los[t] [t]heir husbands
or fathers:
women have claim on their husbands
for their maintainance until their h[u]sbands
are taken; and if they are not found transgressors
they shall have fellowship in the
church, and if they are not faithful, they
shall not have fellowship in the church; yet
they may remain upon their inheritances

Generally referred to land promised by or received from God for the church and its members. A January 1831 revelation promised church members a land of inheritance. In March and May 1831, JS dictated revelations commanding members “to purchase lands for an...

All children have claim upon their
parents for their maintainance until they
are of age; and after that, they have claim
upon the church; or, in other words, upon
the Lord’s storehouse

Both a literal and a figurative repository for goods and land donated to the church. The book of Malachi directed the house of Israel to bring “all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.” In JS’s revision of the Old Testament...

, if their parents have
not wherewith to give them inheritances.
And the storehouse shall be kept by the
consecrations

The dedicating of money, lands, goods, or one’s own life for sacred purposes. Both the New Testament and Book of Mormon referred to some groups having “all things common” economically; the Book of Mormon also referred to individuals who consecrated or dedicated...

JS revelations, dated 20 July and 1 Aug. 1831, directed establishment of LDS church’s first printing office in Independence, Missouri. Dedicated by Bishop Edward Partridge, 29 May 1832. Located on Lot 76, on Liberty Street just south of courthouse square....

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Vigilantes, demanding removal of Latter-day Saints from Jackson County, Missouri, destroyed printing office and tarred and feathered Edward Partridge and Charles Allen, Independence, Jackson County, Missouri; a few dozen copies of unfinished Book of Commandments...

and publication efforts there were permanently halted, printing commenced on
a newly acquired press in Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

A firm established by the United Firm on 11 September 1833 to print newspapers in Kirtland, Ohio. In December 1833, F. G. Williams & Co. resumed the interrupted printing of the church newspaper The Evening and the Morning Star. After the United Firm was reorganized...

,
continued printing The Evening and the Morning Star, the newspaper begun in Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

The first issue of the reprinted newspaper, which appeared under the slightly modified
title Evening and Morning Star, was published in January 1835.2

The title that appears in the newspaper’s nameplate was likely shortened because of a reduction in
the newspaper’s size. The longer original title, The Evening and the Morning Star, is printed at the middle
and end of each issue with other publication information. For the sake of clarity, the reprinted paper is
referred to by its shortened title for all references in The Joseph Smith Papers.

Though touted as a reprint
that would correct typographical and other errors,3

Evening and Morning Star actually
contained significant changes to the revelation texts. In the first issue, editor Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

explained the revisions he was making in the reprinted versions of the
revelations:

On the revelations we merely say, that we were not a little surprised to find the
previous print so different from the original. We have given them a careful
comparison, assisted by individuals whose known integrity and ability is
uncensurable. Thus saying we cast no reflections upon those who were entrusted
with the responsibility of publishing them in Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, as our own labors were
included in that important service to the church, and it was our unceasing
endeavor to have them correspond with the copy furnished us. We believe they are
now correct. If not in every word, at least in principle.4

Notice, Evening and Morning Star, June 1832 (Jan. 1835), 16. The prospectus to Evening and Morning
Star also states “that in the first 14 numbers, in the Revelations, are many errors, typographical, and others,
occasioned by transcribing manuscript; but as we shall have access to originals, we shall endeavor to
make proper corrections.” (“Prospectus,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Sept. 1834, 192.)

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

’s statement, very few of the changes in the reprint
represent a restoration back to the earliest text, though Cowdery consulted early manuscript
sources when reprinting some of the revelations.5

On 4 February 1835, Cowdery wrote to Newel K. Whitney requesting that the latter send “the original
copy of the Revelation given to 12 elders Feb. 1831 called ‘The Law of the Church.’” Cowdery
explained, “We are preparing the old Star for re-printing, and have no copy from which to correct, and
kno[w] of no other beside yours.” (Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to Newel K. Whitney, 4 Feb. 1835,
Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU.)

Because the revelations were meant
to be used as a guide for the current operations of the church, they were edited in 1835 to
reflect current organization, doctrine, and practice, which had continued to develop since
the revelations were first dictated. For example, the version of a 9 February 1831 revelation
printed in Evening and Morning Star includes discussion of the duties of elders, priests,
teachers, bishops, high priests, and the high council.6

Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831, in “Extract of Covenants for the Church of the Latter Day Saints,” Evening
and Morning Star, July 1832 (Feb. 1835), 30–31 [D&C 42].

The revelation was
revised in 1835 to reflect these additional roles. Most of the changes made to revelations in
the early issues of Evening and Morning Star are also reflected in the same revelations as
published in the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (1835), and the editing work on
that volume, in turn, influenced the presentation of revelations in later issues of Evening
and Morning Star.9

The table that follows lists each of the revelatory
items printed in the Star and its reprint, along with its bibliographic information. See Revelations Printed in The Evening and the Morning Star for a side-by-side comparison of the revelations printed in the Star and its reprint.

Key to column titles

Vol:Issue:

Volume and issue number

Star Print Date:

Month in which the item was printed in The Evening and the Morning Star

Star Pages:

Pages on which the item was printed in The Evening and the Morning Star

Reprint Print Date:

Month in which the item was printed in Evening and Morning Star

Reprint Pages:

Pages on which the item was printed in Evening and Morning Star

Date:

Date of item, followed by section number in Doctrine and Covenants, 1981 edition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

. The copy used for this transcription is currently part of a bound
volume held at CHL; includes marginalia and archival notations.

Evening and Morning Star, an edited reprint of The Evening and the Morning Star, presents revelations
throughout its first thirteen issues, except for the April 1833 issue, which was printed in June 1836.
When printing Evening and Morning Star, the editors revised the revelations found in The Evening and
the Morning Star, changing wording and sometimes order and position on the page. One revelation
printed in the earlier newspaper was not reprinted in this edition of the paper.1

Revelation,16 Apr. 1830, in “The Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ,” The Evening and
the Morning Star,June 1832, [1]–[2] [D&C 22].

The page size of Evening
and Morning Star was smaller than that of its predecessor. Each issue has eight leaves (sixteen pages),
with two columns on each page, each page measuring 9¼ × 5¾ inches (23 × 15 cm). Because Evening
and Morning Star was a reprint, its issues maintained the dating of the original issues; thus, the first
issue of Evening and Morning Star is dated June 1832, though it was printed in January 1835, as indicated
by a publisher’s notice on the last page of the issue.

The original owner of the volume used for this transcription is unknown. The upper right corner
of the second free endsheet is cut away, and based on a residual ink flourish on the recto near the cut, it appears that a signature was removed from the book at some point. This volume is held at the Church
History Library, but its provenance is unknown.

Facts

Editorial Title

Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836